


Numinous Flight

by rndmnwierd



Series: Lapidot Week: Aug 2018 [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, F/F, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 06:45:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15576096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rndmnwierd/pseuds/rndmnwierd
Summary: Having conquered the land and the sea, the Diamond Authority moves to the air. Peridot is an engineer aboard the FS Homeworld and she's about to make the unexpected acquaintance of their new prisoner.Written for Lapidot Week.





	Numinous Flight

**Author's Note:**

> This is unedited, so beware the many mistakes this work holds

There were very few things that could pull Peridot away from her work bench. Yellow Diamond was certainly a reason, the woman only had to call once and Peridot would respond. Jasper was another reason, but only because the brute would haul her bodily away to drink and make merry with the rest of the crew. Ship rocking explosions were a better excuse than most to come up above deck.

A loud scuffling above her head, however, was too normal to give a shit about.

Rolling her eyes as a thud impacted hard against the metal of the airship, echoing down the vents to her hearing, Peridot just ignored the commotion. It was probably another infamous wrestling match. If she went to investigate, a mistake she'd made only once, she'd inevitably get dragged into it.

The thudding continued at regular intervals, fading to the back of her mind. Her work was more important and more delicate than whatever the beefy crew was getting up to. Flipping down another layer of magnification on her glasses, Peridot leaned in close to the complicated connections and gears of her creation.

A high pitched and inhuman shriek nearly sent her into the ceiling.

That was certainly worth investigating, so Peridot flicked the magnifying portions of her glasses to the side and settled her tools down. Above her, the thudding had toned down, but there was the whimpering of some kind of creature reverberating against the metal of the ship. Peridot hurried above deck, her boots clanging up the stairs.

Peridot’s workshop was in the bowels of the FS Homeworld, the battle cruiser of the mighty Diamond Authority’s Air Fleet. Commanded by the Yellow Diamond herself, it’s crew was made up of the best fighters, finest sharpshooters, and quickest pilots in the fleet. Peridot was proud to be stationed here as one of only four technicians. Granted that she was the youngest crew member and the most green and the lowest rank, but she was still working among the best of the best.

Mostly she got the grunt work and the space situated between the engines and the brig, but that was just fine with her. She was left to herself most of the time, which meant that she didn’t have to put up with lots of foot traffic or rowdy sailors. The heat from the engines kept her room a comfortable temperature, so long as her cobbled together cooling unit didn’t fail. And with how close she was to the vents, she could hear almost everything that went on in the ship!

However, she did have to travel up four flights of stairs to get to the deck and she spent most of her time buried in delicate circuits or ship panels, so she was winded by the time she emerged into the fresh air. The Homeworld’s deck began at the middle of the ship and encompassed everything from there to the tip of the stern. Right now it was open to the air, but if need be, it could be enclosed in a dome that protected the crew while still allowing the plasma cannons on the deck to be fired at incoming enemies.   
Normally, there would be a few sailors milling about during peaceful times, checking rigging or doing maintenance or cleaning, but now it seemed like the entire crew was gathered in a tangled knot around something that Peridot couldn’t quite see. Her small size made it easier to duck in between people and under arms and if she couldn’t, then she would just shove her way past. After a little maneuvering, she could finally poke her head out enough to see what all the fuss was about.

Jasper, the only person she could call friend on this ship, was kneeling over a comparatively smaller winged creature that Peridot recognized as an Indigan. The Indigans were the native creatures in this area, making their homes on high cliff tops and mountain sides. Often called ‘Mermaids of the Sky’, they were covered in downy fine feathers and sported impressive wings that allowed them to dominate the skies.

At least, they had until the Diamond Authority had sent the Homeworld to this part of the world.

The ship’s doctor had ‘allowed’ Peridot to take part in the autopsy of the last Indigan they had captured as part of her initiation into the crew. She still had nightmares about it, but she did have pretty intimate knowledge of the creatures’ body structures. She knew that their hearts were located lower in their torso than a human’s, she knew that their bones were hollow but formed in such a way that they were resilient to extreme pressure. She knew that if their wings were broken in a certain way, it was impossible for them to take flight.

Jasper knew how to keep an Indigan grounded and Peridot could see that she’d demonstrated her know how on this poor creature in front of her.

Peridot had always thought they were beautiful creatures. Once, they’d raided one of their treasure troves and Jasper had teasingly given her a tiny statue depicting an Indigan in flight. She’d said that it was the only spoil they’d allow rookies to have, even though Peridot had gotten a bonus with her pay just like the rest of the crew at the end of the month. Peridot had taken that gesture to mean that the statue was worthless, but she hadn’t minded. She kept it at her workspace, hidden at the end of one of her shelves, and often looked at it when she needed a break from some problem or another.

Flight was something that fascinated her and she’d always wondered just what it would feel like to soar through the sky under her own power. She realized with a twinge in her chest as Jasper lifted that blue feathered creature like a sack of potatoes, that the Indigan would probably never know that feeling again.

 

_________________________

With the position of her workspace in the ship, it didn’t take long for Peridot to find out why they were keeping the Indigan in the brig; apparently they thought she knew the location of another treasure stash. Jasper would pass by her room on the way to the brig to interrogate the Indigan, which, judging by the distractingly brutal sounds echoing in the hall, was done with her friend’s normal subtlety. It made Peridot vaguely ill and kept her from concentrating fully on her work, but the worst part of it all came after Jasper would leave.

The Indigan put on a brave face during each interrogation, Peridot could hear her talking back to Jasper, although she could never quite make out ther words. She just knew it was defiant because of the tone and the way Jasper would respond back so aggressively. Afterwards, though, she would weep, a disconsolate noise that tugged at every rusted heartstring Peridot had.

She hated it.

If listening to the creature getting beat was distracting, hearing her cry was even worse. It made her feel small, made her feel like what they were doing wasn’t necessary or right, made her feel like they were the bad guys. When the Indigan’s faint cries echoed off the metal, reverberating in Peridot’s ears, she couldn’t seem to think of the crew members they’d lost during the few intense air battles with the creatures or Yellow Diamond’s voice explaining their backward and savage ways.

All she could think of was that this girl was in pain and she should be helping.

Maybe she was young and naive, she’d gotten teased constantly during training for her soft heart and gentle hands. It had taken her a long time to overcome that weakness and here, now, this creature was bringing it all crashing back. It was aggravating, if she didn’t do something to shut the girl up, she was going to do something drastic.

Glancing at the shelf that held the little statue of the Indigan in flight, Peridot groaned in frustration and reached under her desk for a first aid kit. As she marched down the hallway, she made sure to let her displeasure be known through the stomping of her boots, hearing the cries cutting off abruptly as her presence became known to the creature. 

The brig was not very large, only four cells at the end of the hallway, and the cells themselves held nothing in them except for a hole in one corner. The Indigan was in the first cell on the right, huddled in the corner, legs drawn up to her chest and wings tucked awkwardly behind her in defense. Peridot paused, peering through the forcefield to take in her haggard appearance.

In the two days she’d been with them, Jasper had done a number on her. Peridot remembered her broken wing, but not the bruises that marred her upper arms or her shins or the split lip and eyebrow. Her blue hair was messy and her lighter feathers were ruffled, but her eyes reminded Peridot of the ocean during a storm. Defiant, dangerous, ready to swallow you whole.

For a quiet moment, the two sized each other up.

Then, before she could change her mind, Peridot swiped her hand against the control panel, dropping the side of the field just enough so that she could slip into the cell. Another swipe and it closed so that she could just stick her hand out and reach the panel when she wanted to leave.

“You’re noisy.” She huffed, stomping closer to the creature and kneeling down next to her. The first aid kit hit the ground with a thump that made the Indigan jump, eyeing it and Peridot warily. “Is anything broken? Besides your wing.”

Peridot waited impatiently for the creature to speak, but she didn’t, eliciting another huff from the engineer. She reached out to grab the creature’s arm with one hand, the other flicking open the kit and pulling out some soothing ointment. The downy feathers were so fine that she could easily make out the dark bruises inflicted by her friend, but they were thick enough that Peridot wondered if the ointment would even do any good.

With a mental shrug, she began to apply it anyway, ignoring the weak struggling coming from the creature. Strange, Peridot had imagined that the Indigan would be stronger, but it took her until she’d finished the first arm to realize that she’d never seen Jasper bringing food to the prisoner.

“Have they fed you? Given you water?” She asked once she let go of the creature’s wrist, watching her pull it back defensively. She shifted over to grab the other wrist, pinching the skin on the back of the Indigan’s hand and watching it sluggishly smooth back out, “Hmm, you must be dehydrated. Here,” she pulled her ever present canteen from her hip and handed it to the creature, “drink.”

The Indigan eyed her offering warily, but Peridot could see how tempted she was when she swallowed thickly. Still, she refused to reach out and Peridot grumbled under her breath, “It’s not poisoned. Besides, if we wanted you dead, we’d have done it already.” Still, the Indigan did not look impressed. “Fine, here, see?” Peridot opened the cap and took a swig, gulping noisily to show she’d actually drank some, “It’s fine.”

That was apparently all the convincing the creature needed, because she snatched she canteen and took a long draw from the bottle, sighing in relief. Peridot, meanwhile, took the creature’s other arm and began to apply the ointment. Once she’d drained the canteen, the Indigan noticeably relaxed, seemingly prepared to let Peridot tend to her wounds. Her legs stretched out, one on either side of Peridot’s knees, and she leaned back against the corner behind her, careful of her wings.

“You’re probably hungry, too.” Peridot mumbled, reaching into her cargo pocket to pull out a small wax paper wrapped bundle, “I’ve got a bit of jerky leftover from lunch.” She had barely reached out to the creature before the parcel was snatched up and torn into with a ferver. She blinked in surprise, watching the seemingly elegant Indigan devour the dried meat like a starving animal.

Peridot took the chance to examine her further. Even sitting, she could tell the Indigan was probably almost a head or so taller than her and everything about her was blue. Dark blue hair, lighter blue feathers on her body and wings, mixture of blue on her clothing. 

Her outfit was slightly tattered, but was still holding up enough to be decent; consisting of a long skirt that was slitted high up the side and a cropped top tied behind her neck. Peridot recognized this as the equivalent of undergarments for the Indigan, knowing that they usually wore elaborate dress and armor. Peridot could convince herself that it was the thought of someone in their underwear in front of her that was making her blush, not that the Indigan was still incredibly attractive even all beat up.

Shaking her head a bit to try and keep her mind on task, Peridot moved on to the bruises on the Indigan’s legs, refusing to think of how lithe and toned the creature was. She absently wondered if she danced and realized that she didn’t actually know that much about Indigan culture. She certainly wasn’t about to ask, but perhaps she could find some time for self study later.

Peridot looked up once she was finished with the creature’s legs, eyeing bruising along her belly, sides, and ribs, then glanced farther up and found herself looking into curious blue eyes. Heat flooded her cheeks, “What?”

“Thank you.” 

Peridot was surprised at the response, eyes widening. The only thing she could think was that the Indigan had a beautiful voice. “Yeah, well, I just… Couldn’t take hearing your distracting crying anymore.” She sputtered out, trying to sound gruff, but only managing a squeak. She turned her attention back to the Indigan’s wounds, pressing her fingers lightly along her ribs in order to check for anything broken.

The Indigan hissed, but otherwise, there was no indication of anything worse than bruising. So Peridot began to apply more ointment, forcing herself to ignore the feeling of toned muscles under her fingers. She squeaked again when the abs she was working on suddenly tightened and looked up into amused, blue eyes.

The little minx was messing with her, Peridot realized, huffing again and studiously ignoring the smirk directed down at her. “I will poke you, don’t tempt me.” she grumbled.   
“Sorry.” 

Peridot mumbled some more under her breath, then moved up to take care of the cuts on the Indigan’s face. A sterile wipe took care of the blood and, despite what must have been a stinging pain, the creature held perfectly still, allowing Peridot to tend to her wounds. 

“My name is Lapis Lazuli.” The Indigan said as more ointment was applied to her bruising jaw and cheek. “What’s yours?”

“Peridot.” 

“Well, thank you again, Peridot.” Lapis said and Peridot hated the way her name rolled so smoothly off her tongue.

“Don’t thank me.” Peridot said gruffly as she began packing up, “I told you I just didn’t want to hear you crying any longer.”

“In a place where I’ve seen nothing but cruelty, kindness stands out.” Lapis said in a light voice, as though she was discussing the weather, “I’ll not forget this when my people tear apart your ship and massacre it’s crew. I’ll tell them to make your death swift and painless.” 

Peridot stared into eyes as blue as the stormy ocean and felt a shiver run up her spine. She was in the presence of a dangerous creature and somehow she thought that maybe a little water and jerky was the only reason she hadn’t been overpowered and town to shreds. 

She’d remember that for next time.

_______________

Next time turned out to be the next day, as Jasper visited again right after lunch. Peridot cringed at the sounds echoing through her room, eventually having to put away her tools and hide under the blankets of the makeshift bed she’d thrown together in the corner of the room. 

She hated that she was terrified of Lapis Lazuli and that she also wanted to help her at the same time. She shouldn't be feeling conflicted about this, the Indigan had threatened her to her face without so much as batting an eyelash. She should leave her to her fate.

Still, when Jasper stuck her head into Peridot's workspace hours later, after the cries of pain and sounds of brutality quieted down, Peridot had already made her mind up to bring more aid to the creature.

“Hey.” The brute greeted, approaching Peridot's bed as gently as she could in the tiny room.

“Hey.” Peridot mimicked back, but looked up from the book she was reading.

“Was anyone else here to see the prisoner besides me?” Jasper asked, crouching down next to her friend.

Peridot raised an eyebrow, “Why?”

“Because someone fed her and tended her wounds,” Jasper growled, voice dangerous, “And I wanna know who's face I have to beat in.”

That caused some hesitation, but Peridot still decided out would be better to come clean, “It was me. I-”

“You!?” Jasper exploded, but hand darting out to grab the collar of Peridot's shirt, “Why would you-!?”

“If you would let me finish!” Peridot snapped, swatting her friend's hand ineffectually, “I was going to point out that dead men tell no tales. You need her alive if you want information, you great buffoon.”

Jasper paused, “Oh. Right. Well, good job. Did she tell you anything?”

“Only that she wants us dead.” Peridot grumbled, prying at Jasper's fingers, “Let go, you're wrinkling it.”

Abruptly, Jasper loosened her grip and Peridot muttered uncharitable things under her breath as she smoothed out her shirt, “You should go see her now.”

“Did you not hear the part about her wanting us dead? She's going to tear me to shreds, I don't trust her.” Peridot tried to protest, but Jasper was giving her one of those no nonsense looks.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Peridot's grumbling renewed and she got up to grab her first aid kit and the remains of her lunch. 

“Good, I'll see you tomorrow.” Jasper turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

“Not if she kills me first.”

________

A few minutes later, Peridot stood in front of the cell holding the Indigan, watching her prone form warily. Jasper must have done a number on her, because Peridot couldn't even be sure she was breathing.

“Hey, are you dead?” She called through the force field.

There was no movement.

“Sod it.” Peridot grumbled, opening the cell cautiously. Every instinct she had screamed that this was a trap, so she was careful to close the cell as much as she could, thankful for her small hands.

She crept closer to the prone Indigan, trying to gauge her health from sight alone. Jasper had made her bleed, she realized, watching a small puddle form underneath Lapis's head. Another curse exited Peridot's lips, much less tame than the one before, as she darted forward to check on the prisoner.

The trap snapped closed.

Before she could even blink, Lapis was on top of her, knocking Peridot onto her back and scrambling to pin her to the floor. Peridot was too stunned to struggle, until slim hands closed around her throat and her air suddenly cut off.

Peridot reached up and tried to pry Lapis's hands away, but her grip was like iron. Her legs flailed but the Indigan sat heavily on her thighs. Peridot tugged and pulled at wrists, elbows and arms, but Lapis was locked in place, face grim.

The difference in their height meant that Peridot couldn't even reach Lapis's face to claw at anything sensitive, the most she managed was to dig her fingernails into Lapis's biceps. Eventually, her struggles began to lessen as the lack of oxygen made her limbs feel heavy and her mind started to go blank.

Peridot locked eyes with her assailant, realizing with her last bit of brain power that Lapis had definitely done this before.

Then everything started to go dark.

________

Quite suddenly, Peridot was conscious.

Everything was hazy, her brain couldn’t seem to quite catch up to reality and the only thing that registered was the burning pain in her throat. She gasped, feeling the air move harshly between her lungs and her mouth, and was sent into a coughing fit, rolling onto her side in an attempt to catch her breath.

She struggled to remember where she was and what had happened, eyes taking in the light glow from the force field behind her. The closed force field; Peridot was locked inside the cell.

All at once, her memories came back and she tried to climb to her feet, a wave of dizziness keeping her on the floor. The prisoner had attacked her! Frantically, Peridot looked around, but Lapis was nowhere to be seen. Peridot groaned, taking stock of her empty canteen upended on the ground and the paper that her lunch came in strewn about the area. The first aid kit had been opened and rummaged through, but Peridot knew that was nothing in there that would make a viable weapon.

Embarrassment and shame welled up in her chest, nearly overriding the pain she was in. Her eyes pricked with tears as she crawled forward to begin cleaning the small cell. Her canteen went back to her hip and the garbage was stuffed in her pocket. She took her time resorting the kit, sniffling pathetically and trying to ignore the way her eyes blurred. Once or twice she tried calling out for help, but she couldn’t make more than a whisper and even if she could, there would be no one able to hear her in here.

She’d have to wait for someone to come and if they ended up killing Lapis, who knew how long that would be. Once the first aid kit was packed up, Peridot dragged herself over to the force field and sat with her back against it, knees pulled up to her chest. 

The only good thing about losing her voice was that she didn’t make any sounds when she cried.

_________________

It seemed like hours before she heard Jasper’s distinctive footsteps hurrying down the stairs, her booming voice calling out her name with a tinge of panic lacing the tone. “Peridot! Peridot! Where are you?!”

Weakly, without lifting her head up off her knees, Peridot knocked on the metal of the floor, but she didn’t think Jasper could hear over the sound of her own steps. Still, she came straight to Lapis’s former cell, Peridot heard her stop and sigh in audible relief, “There you are. I thought for sure this bastard killed you.”

Peridot twisted to glance at Jasper over her shoulder. Her eyes fell on Lapis first; Jasper had her hogtied, arms and legs wrenched behind her uncomfortably, wings bundled together in tight netting. Her eyes were proud and defiant and she tried to meet Peridot’s gaze, but the engineer flicked her sight away with a twinge of fear shooting through her.

Instead, she locked eyes with Jasper, who was trying to examine her through the force field, “What did this monster do to you?” She whispered, voice taking on a dangerous edge. She suddenly exploded in a fury, slamming Lapis against the ground harshly and making her gasp in pain, “What did you do to my friend!?”

Peridot didn’t want to see this, she had enough trouble hearing it, so she pounded on the ground with as much energy as she could muster, the side of her fists throbbing with pain. Jasper stopped tormenting the prisoner and reached over to flick the field off, “Of course, sorry buddy.”

With a casual toss, Jasper threw Lapis into the cell, where she grunted in pain as she rolled a bit before stopping. Then she reached down to pull Peridot unsteadily to her feet. Peridot looked down at her feet until Jasper put a hand under her chin and forced her to raise it, “Stars, Peri.” She gasped out when she saw the bruising around Peridot’s neck, “Can you speak?”

Despite herself, Peridot felt tears welling up in her eyes as she shook her head. She’d been really afraid and she hated crying in front of anyone, but she was just so relieved Jasper had found her that she couldn’t help it. She lunged at her friend and hugged her around the waist, sobbing silently into her chest.

A big hand rested on top of her head, Jasper patting her gently as she tried her best to comfort, “Hey now, runt, no tears. You’re gonna mess up the leather of my armor.” Despite her gruff tone, she still scooped the weakened Peridot up into one arm and shut the cell with the other, “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

The whole time, Peridot refused to look at her assailant, but she could still feel those eyes glued to her.

______________

After that, Jasper was put in charge of keeping up with Lapis’s food and water. Peridot spent two days in the infirmary recovering before going back to her workspace and having to listen to Jasper interrogate their prisoner now three times a day. Peridot also had to listen to three times the crying and it was hard to not feel bad.

Just when she was starting to, though, she’d reach up and give her still sore neck a squeeze, just to remember what the seemingly distraught Indigan was capable of.

She hated that she still felt bad, she knew Lapis was a monster, she’d experienced it first hand, why did her lonely cries tug at her heart? Peridot glared at the Indigan statue she had on her shelf. She wanted to break it, to take it to that cell and smash it into a million pieces right in front of Lapis. She often even reached up to grab the thing in a choking grip, but something always stopped her.

Maybe it was the fact that it was such a beautiful piece or the sheer delight in the statue’s expression. Maybe it was the fact that she somehow understood that this was what Lapis was fighting to return to and the thought that she’d fight just as hard if she was in Lapis’s place made her want to comfort the crying creature. Maybe it was because after all this, she still sympathized with Lapis.

Peridot was still afraid of her, however, and ashamed of herself, although she had trouble pinpointing why exactly. So she stood by and listened to Jasper brutalize the Indigan until she got bored, which was becoming more and more common as the days wore on. Three times a day dwindled to two, which eventually lessened to one, then every other day.

Peridot realized that, after nearly a month of captivity, the Indigan’s use was coming to an end. Most likely they would just stop feeding her and allow her to waste away, then toss her body overboard with the garbage. She could tell that Lapis was already growing weaker just by how different her cries were after so long. Peridot tried not to think about how great an injustice it was.

She tried not to think about Lapis at all.

She probably would have succeeded, too, if she hadn’t been woken in the middle of the night by footsteps walking past her workspace that definitely didn’t belong to Jasper.

Peridot sat up in bed as the person walked towards the cells, voice echoing back to her easily as he spoke without volume control. “Well, well, look how the mighty have fallen. You know, I always wondered what it be like to have a go with your kind. Lucky me, I’m about to find out.”

Not even waiting to hear the force field power down, Peridot sprang to her feet and grabbed the nearest sharp object, her utility knife, then darted down the hall towards the man, “Hey, clod! What do you think you’re doing?”

The man looked surprised to see her; Peridot knew him, but couldn’t remember his name and at this point, didn’t care. “What am I doing? What are you doing?”

“I work down here?” She said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, well go back to your work. I’m just gonna have a little fun with the prisoner.” He waved her off and reached out to lower the force field.

“Um, no.” Peridot declared, lunging forward to close it back again, “No way am I about to let something like that happen, prisoner or no, that’s disgusting.”

“What? Jasper gets to have her fun and no one else can?” The man scoffed, “How is that fair?”

“Maybe what Jasper is doing isn’t right either, but this? This is worse. And not happening on my watch.” Peridot tried to look intimidating, but she knew she fell far short of that. Still, she held firm, standing in front of the control panel with her arms crossed.

The man stared at her angrily for a long minute, then a smirk grew over his face, “Fine. You wanna watch over her?” He reached out and grabbed Peridot’s arm in a vice like grip, “You can do it from up close!” He gave a yank to throw her off balance, then reached past to shut the force field down and throw her into the cell in one motion.

Peridot hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of her, and by the time she looked back up, gasping for breath, the force field was back up. Panic hit her all at once and she lunged to her feet, slamming herself against the force field, “No! No! Don’t leave me in here with her!”

Laughing, the man just waved casually over his shoulder, “Don’t worry, someone will find you in a few days.”

Her fists beat ineffectually against the field, voice straining as she screamed for help that she knew wouldn’t come. Peridot felt fear forming a knot in her belly and rising up to choke off her airway. She refused to look at the Indigan behind her; she hadn’t seen Lapis since the day of her assault and she had no intention of looking now.

“Hey.” Came the sharp command behind her and Peridot jumped, yelling stopping immediately, “Knock it off. He’s not coming back.”

Peridot hated how much she trembled at just being addressed and by a prisoner no less. She couldn’t help it, though, her throat aching at the memory of being attacked.

Silence fell between them, Peridot refusing to turn to look at the Indigan as though if she didn't she could will her out of existence. Peridot's ears pricked up as Lapis sighed behind her.

“I'm sorry.”

That was the last thing Peridot had been expecting and the surprise made her turn around and stare. She got her first good look at Lapis and felt her breath catch.

The Indigan looked like she was on death's door, frame sickly thin and covered in bruises and dried blood. Her eyes had circles so dark underneath them that they were visible even through her feathers, which looked dull and greasy. It took Peridot a second to realize that Lapis was still talking.

“-didn't mean to hurt you so badly. I just wanted you out of the way so I could escape.” Her face was the picture of remorse and Peridot, for just a moment, felt sympathy for her.

Then she snapped back to herself, “You did hurt me. A lot.” She shot back bitterly, hand coming up to touch her throat, “I'm… still not okay.”

Lapis shuffled her limbs, awkwardly drawing into herself and Peridot saw that her wrists were tied to her ankles. What she'd originally thought was a brown blanket draped over Lapis's back was, upon closer inspection, actually thick nets binding her wings.

“I'm sorry.” Lapis said again, voice small, “You were the last person I wanted to hurt. I was just so…. No, that's not an excuse.” She looked up and met Peridot's eyes firmly, more energy in them than she'd seen thus far, “I'm sorry.”

Peridot sighed and slumped down onto the ground, “I don't forgive. Not yet.” The unspoken ‘but’ lingered between them.

“Your friend has been trying her hardest to make sure I'm punished for it.” Lapis snorted in dark amusement.

“Do you feel punished?” Peridot asked, voice low.

“Not yet.” Lapis replied quietly.

“I'm surprised to hear you say that. I would have thought this would be enough penance.”

Lapis shook her head, “I betrayed your kindness.” She said simply, as though that explained everything. At Peridot's confused expression, though, she went on, “For my people, being ungrateful or taking advantage of someone's kindness invites bad luck. It's why I couldn't escape, why I got caught. I hurt you and I suffer for it. It's as much as I deserve.”

For a long moment, Peridot regarded Lapis, studying her defeated posture, her resigned expression. Lapis knew she had no hope, she'd given up and accepted her fate. It was sad, that such a proud woman was ready to die.

Peridot thought back to the statue on her shelf, the Indigan in flight, and felt a sense that she had to do something.

“Why don't we start over?” Peridot suggested, almost startling herself. Once her words set in, though, she nodded, “Yeah, that's a good idea.”

She was still a little hesitant, but the fact that Lapis could barely move made it a easier to crawl closer and stretch out a hand. “Nice to meet you, I'm Peridot.”

Lapis eyed her hand curiously for a moment then shifted her leg forward a bit so she could take it, “Lapis Lazuli. Likewise.”

“Would you like some water?” Peridot pulled her ever present canteen off her belt and held it out to Lapis's mouth. She had a bad habit of sleeping in her clothes, but right now, she'd never been more grateful for it.

Lapis nodded and gingerly leaned down, drinking with slow, deep gulps until she'd drained half the bottle. “Thank you.” She murmured when she pulled back, a few drops sliding down her chin.

Peridot reached out to clean her mouth with her sleeve, grimacing a bit at the way the water left behind streaks in the dirt and blood on Lapis's face. Perhaps she could sneak the Indigan into the little bathroom and shower she'd fashioned behind her workspace. “You’re welcome.”

Wordlessly, Peridot pulled out a packet of jerky and held it out to Lapis. Bound as she was, there was really no other choice than for Peridot to slowly feed her. The silence was almost companionable.

“What's it like to fly?” Peridot blurted after she'd stuffed the empty package into her pocket.

Lapis gave her an unamused look and weakly fluttered her bound wings. “Really?”

“I mean, we don’t have a lot of neutral things to talk about. We’re enemies.” Peridot pointed out, “It seemed like the safest thing to ask, considering politics, family, religion, and culture are probably off the table until we get to know each other better.”

Lapis huffed, resting her head sideways on her knee so that she could watch Peridot curiously, “What’s it like to live in an airship?”

“Kinda sucky.” Peridot’s honesty earned her a cute giggle snort that had her smiling a bit, “I’m the youngest, the smallest and the most new, they literally throw me into cells with dangerous prisoners. Besides that, I have to sleep down here in my workshop if I don’t want to get soap partied in the middle of the night.”

“Soap partied?” Lapis asked in bewilderment.

“Yeah, it’s where all the people you bunk with gang up on you, hold you in bed by your blanket and beat you with soap tucked into socks.” Peridot explained, bitterness creeping into her tone.

Lapis looked appalled, “Your crew does that to you?”

“Yes, every night I sleep there. So I moved my bed down here.”

“But why?” Lapis’s voice was soft with sympathy.

Peridot’s fists clenched and she looked at Lapis with a confidence that bordered on egotism, “Because I’m better than all of them.” She boasted, “I may not be the strongest or the fastest, but I’m the most brilliant person on this ship. Only twenty and I’ve completed schooling of people twice my age. I helped invent the new cooling system that’s being rolled out in our state of the art airships and if it runs on electricity I can make it do my bidding.”

Lapis gestured to the force field, “What about that? Can you get us out?”

“If I could get access to the panel I could.” Peridot reached over and knocked on the thick metal of the wall, “I just can’t get past this.”

“I could.” Lapis said casually and, as Peridot watched, sharp talons extended from her fingers and carved deep into the floor with seemingly no effort.

Eyes wide with renewed terror, Peridot realized that Lapis could have escaped her bonds at any time with those claws. The Indigan must have seen the expression on her face, because the talons were suddenly gone and she was speaking in the same tone one might use when trying to coax a frightened animal near.

“I won’t hurt you again. I promise.”

Peridot wanted to believe her, but her heart still thudded painfully in her chest, “I can’t let you go.”

Lapis fell silent and Peridot looked up into a face that was so sad and resigned that it broke her heart. “I know. It doesn’t matter anyway, even if you opened the force field, I’d still be trapped on this ship. Your escape pods have trackers in them and my wings are broken. I can never leave.”

For a long moment, they stared at each other. Peridot couldn’t tell what the Indigan was thinking, but the only thing running through her mind was how terrible this situation was. A flying creature as beautiful as Lapis, dying while trapped in a cell among enemies. Mistreated and tormented throughout the last days of her life.

“Get me access to the panel without damaging anything delicate and I can at least get you a bath.” Peridot finally conceded, eliciting a grateful smile.

“Can you untie me? I don’t want to destroy the ropes and make Jasper suspicious.” Lapis held out her limbs as far as she could, giving Peridot an imploring look.

Swallowing shakily, Peridot crept closer, watching Lapis warily for any signs of betrayal. Her caution made Lapis look down in shame and Peridot took that opportunity to swiftly untie the ropes around her wrists. 

“I meant what I said, you know? I won’t hurt you, you have my word.” Lapis sighed, standing and stretching slowly. She reached up and began to tug at the nets around her wings and Peridot didn’t stop her.

“I didn’t survive this long by trusting anybody’s word.” 

That made Lapis pause, then chuckle. “I guess we have that in common, then.” The nets dropped to the floor and, as if the rope was the only thing holding them back, Lapis’s wings opened up like they were spring loaded. One stretched out until it touched the wall and the other trembled as it tried to do the same, but couldn’t.

Either way, the sight was breathtaking.

Peridot was staring in awe, heart beating hard for a new reason, completely captivated by the beauty in front of her. It was like her statue had come to life. Then Lapis looked at her over one shoulder and Peridot found it hard to breath for all the pressure on her chest. Lapis turned and ripped a chunk out of the wall and the spell was gone, leaving Peridot inexplicably breathless.

She tucked her hands against her chest, clasping them together with an anxious energy as Lapis turned to her expectantly. After a moment of looking at each other, Lapis took two steps back to give Peridot room to work and the engineer snapped to attention, scrambling to the open section in the wall with a flush on her face. She focused on the task at hand and peered at the mess of wires inside the wall.

She saw the connections she needed to tweak almost instantly, chuckling as she reached in to fiddle for a few moments, mumbling under her breath as the electricity stung her fingertips. Eventually, the force field flickered and dropped and Peridot let out a triumphant chuckle.

“Come on, Lazuli, I’ll show you my room!” She grinned, elation having taken hold after the successful escape, drowning out her hesitance for the moment.

Lapis followed after cautiously, trailing Peridot like a silent shadow, wings tucked in defensively. Peridot’s workspace was a tiny,cramped room, even for someone that was as small as she was. Trying to fit more than one person past the doorway was a very intimate experience.

The bathroom was past Peridot’s bed, the door simply a piece of the wall that she could slide away. The facilities themselves were mostly makeshift, a sink, toilet, and standing shower with a small basin in the bottom that was only a tub if you squinted, all made up of scavenged parts. Lapis eyed the tiny room sceptically.

“I’m not sure I can fit.”

“Sure you can, just kneel in the tub and hang your wings over the side. There’s a drain in the floor, you won’t flood anything if you drip.” Peridot explained as though it were the obvious solution. When Lapis still seemed hesitant, Peridot shrugged, “You could just stay dirty.”

“No!” Lapis called vehemently, tugging at her top, “I’ll make it work.”

Peridot spun on her heel to give Lapis privacy, listening as she padded into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. “I’ll wash your clothes in the sink.” Peridot offered, studiously not looking as she bent to pick up the Indigan’s garments and headed into the bathroom as well.

Filling the basin up with warm water, Peridot dumped the soiled garments in to soak, listening to the running shower behind her and the splashes and happy noises Lapis made as she scrubbed herself clean for the first time in a month. It almost made her forget they were enemies. She shook her head and grabbed a bar of soap, leaning over the sink to start cleaning Lapis’s clothes.

“Hey, Peridot, do you think you can give me a hand with my wings?” Lapis called suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Help?” Peridot blinked, face flushing at the thought of what that help might entail. “Why?”

“I’m having trouble reaching.” Lapis explained, voice quiet, and Peridot realized that it must be hurting her pride to actually ask for assistance.

Peridot sighed and conceded, “I’ll be right there.” She wrung out Lapis’s clothing and hung them on some exposed steam pipes to dry. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned and let her eyes fall on Lapis.

The tub rim didn’t even reach Lapis’s chest, so Peridot was treated to the full sight of her bare torso, gulping as she tried not to let her eyes linger. The huge wings did hang over the side, like Peridot had suggested, one side visibly cleaner than the other and both dripping wet. Lapis just watched her in silent misery and when Peridot moved around behind her, she could see there was parts of her back that were still dirty as well.

“Hold still.” Peridot advised, pulling the spray showerhead free and bringing it closer to douse the places Lapis can’t reach.

Just the act of running water through her feathers helped to clean a lot of the surface grime away and Peridot tried really hard not to be disgusted by the way the water ran a muddy color down the drain. She also tried to ignore how the bottom of her pants and her boots were getting soaked, since she'd already committed to just dealing with it. 

A generous amount of liquid soap was poured over Lapis's back and wings and Peridot's tiny hands began to work a lather. It was different than hair, especially the thick feathers of Lapis's wings, and she had to take her time so as to not aggravate the numerous injuries on the Indigan. This allowed Peridot to thoroughly study the magnificent wings in her grasp. 

She'd seen birds before, of course, but never up close and certainly never with wings as big as Lapis. Peridot found her fingers running curiously over joints and tendons and pressing into muscles to see how it all worked together. She didn't notice Lapis watching over her shoulder in amusement at her fascination. 

Eventually, Peridot did have to move on, giving Lapis's back a vigorous scrub with her fingernails, making the Indigan drop her head forward in relaxation. Both tried to ignore how Peridot stretched out this part for far longer than it should have gone, lingering because it felt good and because the next part would be not so good.

After thoroughly rinsing Lapis's back, Peridot paused to examine Lapis's broken wing. There were multiple, noticeable fractures on the top of the wing and Peridot suspected there was more beneath her thick feathers. 

“Can it ever be repaired?” Peridot asked quietly.

“Maybe.” Lapis whispered back, “It's already healing, which doesn't bode well. I'd have to have it all rebroken and then bound to make sure it all came back together right.”

“Does it hurt?” This time the question was barely a whimper.

“Yes, but you can touch. Just… be gentle.” 

Peridot felt goosebumps raise up on her arms at how soft the request was and nodded seriously. She was used to handling delicate equipment and parts, she would use the same care with Lapis. She directed the water to spray down the wilted wing, then carefully maneuvered her fingers into the feathers.

Slowly and more thoroughly than she'd ever done anything before, Peridot cleansed the dirt and blood from Lapis's wing. She could feel the Indigan begin to tremble under her hands, but didn't stop until the water ran clear.

Finally, Peridot pulled back and observed Lapis's shaking form, her sobs muffled by a hand clapped tightly over her lips. Feeling a little unsure, but wanting to comfort the other, Peridot shut off the shower and found the biggest, fluffiest towel she had. With as much care as she'd shown the damaged wing, Peridot began to dry Lapis, patting and squeezing gently until the crouched posture interfered with the action.

Then she draped the towel over Lapis and tried to urge her from the tub. It took a bit of maneuvering and coaxing, but Lapis stood, towel wrapped securely around her middle, looking down at Peridot with red rimmed eyes.

“It will take a while for your clothes to dry, why don't you nap on my bed until then?” Peridot suggested gently. 

One slender arm reached out, the attached hand cupping Peridot's cheek. The engineer startled, not sure what to expect, looking at Lapis with eyes the were wide and curious, but not full of fear.

Lapis gave the tiniest of smiles, then leaned forward and pressed her lips to Peridot's in a chaste, gentle kiss. “Thank you.” She whispered, then stepped past the stunned engineer and crawled into her bed.

By the time Peridot had come back to her senses, Lapis was snoring softly, buried in blankets, wings spread out and touching the wall.

With a lack of anything better to do and a need to keep her hands busy, Peridot made her way to her work bench, absently fiddling with some tools. Her eyes fell on her Indigan statue, as it often had since she'd gotten it. This time, however, ideas began to fill her head, dangerous and risky. Dragging her eyes from the statue, she looked at the ship's schematics stuck to her wall like posters.

She was going to set Lapis free.

_________

Peridot had let Lapis sleep until the wee hours of the morning before handing over her clean, dry clothes and ushering her back into her cell. It was hard to put her back in ropes and netting, but Peridot left Lapis's with a quiet promise that everything would be okay.

Jasper showed up later that day, trudging slowly towards the cells with the air of someone given a job they didn't want. Peridot jumped at the chance presented to her. She called out to her friend and Jasper poked her head in with her eyebrows raised in question.

“I could take over feeding the prisoner.” Peridot offered innocently.

Jasper paused, obviously wanting to agree, but also concerned and not wanting to show it, “What about…?” She made a vague hand gesture.

“I mean, she can't hurt me all tied up. Plus,” Peridot paused for dramatic effect, “I can't stay scared of her forever.”

Jasper nodded in approval, “You could just let her starve.”

Grimacing, Peridot shook her head, “That seems a little too cruel.”

“Your soft heart is gonna get you in trouble, runt.” Jasper snorted affectionately, but set the tray of food on Peridot's desk anyway.

“I'm not soft hearted, I'm tough.” Peridot tried to scowl, but the smile tugging at her lips ruined her stern countenance.

She waited until Jasper had been out of earshot for nearly ten minutes before getting up and bringing the food to the cell. Laps was kneeling in front of the force field and peering out curiously as Peridot approached.

“She really just let you take over? She's done with me?” Lapis questioned in surprise.

“I don't know if she's done with you, but you'll be seeing her a lot less.” Peridot lowered the field with a flick of her wrist and set the food on the ground to untie Lapis's wrists. “You were listening?” She asked belatedly as she handed the meal over to Lapis. Intellectually she knew that sound traveled easily between the cells and her room, but she hadn't thought Lapis would actually be paying attention.

“Oh yeah,” Lapis mumbled between frantic bites, “I don't have much else to do, but listen.”

Feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought of some of the sounds Lapis must have heard coming from her room at all hours, Peridot couldn't help asking, “And… what do you hear?”

Lapis looked up from her food, took a long sip of water, then gave a suggestive wink, “Everything.”

Peridot squeaked and Lapis gave a giggle snort and it was easy to forget who and where they were. Once the levity died down and Lapis's meal was finished, Peridot grinned, “I have a plan to get you out of here.”

Lapis looked skeptical, “How?”

Peridot told her. With gestures. She’d build a flight suit to replace Lapis’s wings, then they’d crawl out the air ducts to freedom.

Lapis remained skeptical. “That sounds complicated and dangerous.”

“It's a prison break, Lapis, not a stroll in the park. Besides, if we can't get away cleanly, plan B is explosives.” 

Shaking her head in disbelief, Lapis crossed her arms over her chest, “How are you going to test this without getting caught? If it fails, you don't get a second chance.”

“Have a little faith in me, Lazuli.” Peridot boasted with a grin, “My inventions are impeccable.”

__________

Three days in, Peridot began to panic. Nothing she built seemed to hold itself together under stress or would malfunction at the most inopportune times. The more her failures mounted, the more Lapis would fret about her. “I can probably still glide on a broken wing, even if it will hurt, but you don’t even have that.”

“I just need stronger material.” Peridot hummed, jotting down some calculations, “If I catch a good air drift, ergh, no.” She scribbled through her work with a frustrated sigh, “I can’t get enough lift without a huge span and if it’s too big, I won’t be able to get it to the exit.”

“Why don’t you make it foldable? Like wings.” Lapis flapped hers a few times to demonstrate.

“No, the problem then becomes bracing them open without making them too heavy.” Peridot chewed on her knuckle harshly until Lapis reached out and took her hand. Startled, Peridot looked up into blue eyes that were filled with encouragement and worry.

“Should we consider Plan B?” Lapis asked softly, threading their fingers together gently.

Huffing in amusement, Peridot gave a little grin, “I’m not quite ready to give up on this yet. I feel like the answer is just out of re-wait.” Snatching her hand back, Peridot took up her paper and pencil again and began sketching, “Glide, you said glide. What if…” She drew out a rough triangle, “A glider! I can implement your collapsable idea with thin poles, like an umbrella!”

Lapis scooted closer to look over Peridot’s shoulder, “A glider?”

“Yes! Because of course I can’t be carried on wings, I’m too heavy! I won’t have the same maneuverability as an Indigan would, but that’s okay. It’s much less likely to fail, too, and I can add springs. Ah, I think I might even have some schematics already in an old book.” Peridot stopped suddenly and looked up at Lapis brightly, “You’re a genius.” She said, then grabbed Lapis’s face with both hands and pulled her in for a noisy smooch. “I’m going to get to work right away!” 

Peridot bounced to her feet and skipped away, leaving Lapis a red faced mess behind her.

__________________

Peridot worked constantly on the escape plan. During the day, when the ship was at its most active, she would use the cover of the noise around her to work on tunneling from the cell that was diagonal from Lapis’s to the bottom of the airship. They’d discovered at day five that Lapis’s wings made it impossible to fit through the ducts, so they adjusted to add actual construction to the list of things to do. 

Lapis would stand watch during this time and Peridot had rigged up a system for Lapis to flick a switch that would turn on a red light if she spotted someone. Then Peridot could either scramble out or Lapis would shut the entrance to the tunnel and get back in her cell. Peridot had taught her how to open and close the force field from the inside after they nearly got caught the first time someone had stumbled down the stairs. Now, after a few more uses of the system, they knew the drill pretty clearly.

At night Peridot would tinker quietly on her glider, fitting the poles, testing stress spots, sewing together scavenged leather, and making adjustments where necessary. When she wasn’t working on either of those and wasn’t doing actual work on the ship, she was cobbling together their Plan B. Tiny explosives that would be rigged to a remote detonator. 

The goal wasn’t to hurt anyone, only to disable the ship long enough to stop pursuit, create a distraction, and protect against retaliation. Peridot had already started placing the explosives around the ship; the engine, some of the escape pods, the turrets. The detonator was safely tucked away behind her Indigan statue and several books.

When she took breaks to eat, she always did so with Lapis and they would discuss what they wanted to do after leaving the Homeworld. Peridot wanted to travel, to see places that existed outside of the Diamond Authority’s reach. She’d lived in a big city before going to college and enlisting for her mandatory military service. She’d never been away from the Diamond’s thumbs.

Lapis had been reluctant to talk about the future at first, but the farther along the plan came and the more she gained her healthy weight back, the easier it became to divulge things about herself. She’d traveled a lot before being captured and her stories only fueled Peridot’s thirst for adventure. Lapis promised that she’d take Peridot to see all her favorite places in the world and every new place she’d never been before.

Peridot finished the glider first. It was sturdy and opened every time she tested the mechanism. Lapis spent a good amount of time trying to pull it apart, since the winds would be rough, but found that the catches held fast and the leather stitching was solid. The whole thing folded down into the size of a large backpack and the plan was to build a second just like it so that someone didn’t risk getting dropped or in case one failed.

The tunnel had a couple days left to go. Peridot had pried away and disposed of most of the metal between the brig and the outside bottom of the ship without destroying the structural integrity of the Homeworld or disrupting any of the numerous pipes and wires that lined the walls and floors. She set up a series of ladders with a lot of the scrap, carefully bolting them to the walls so that no accidents might happen. She just had to pry loose a couple more layers and there would be nothing between them and the open air.

Three days before the escape was to happen, Yellow Diamond decided that Lapis had outgrown her usefulness. 

With Japer no longer interrogating her and Peridot wasting rations and water on her without getting any information of her own, Lapis was a liability and Yellow Diamond ordered her execution. Peridot and Lapis were enjoying lunch together when they heard the approaching footsteps and had to scramble back to their places. The force field came up, Lapis slid her wrist into the loose coils of rope attached to her ankles and Peridot scampered back to her room.

There was no preamble, no speech, no explanation given. Four soldiers marched down the stairs, opened Lapis’s cell, and began to drag her out. Her struggles and screams echoing sharply against the metal and in Peridot’s head as she frantically tried to figure out what was happening and what she needed to do.

Her eyes fell on the Indigan statue.

They needed to escape.

Peridot’s eyes fell on a finished piece of Plan B that she had yet to actually place.

She had to protect Lapis.

Without another thought, Peridot snatched up the explosive, scrambled for the detonator, and charged out into the hallway. “Lapis, duck!” She shrieked and hoped more than anything that she wouldn’t hurt her friend.

She chucked the explosive towards the surprised soldiers aiming as high as she could in the cramped space. Everything seemed to slow down for a moment as it soared through the air, all eyes following it’s trajectory. Peridot waited for it to reach it’s arc, then her other hand squeezed hard on the detonator.

The explosion was loud and strong and close. Peridot stumbled back from the force, ears ringing and face splattered with a warm wetness. She couldn’t seem to catch her balance, the ship rocking hard underneath her and forcing her to fall backwards into her workbench and then to the floor. 

She felt dazed, she couldn’t get up, couldn’t move.

Then she saw blue, felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her, a worried face in front of her mouthing words she couldn’t hear. Lapis, it was Lapis.

Lapis!

They had to go! Now! While the ship was still in chaos.

Peridot surged into motion, dizzy but determined. She grabbed the glider and took the hand that Lapis held out to her, allowing the taller girl to drag her towards their escape tunnel.

She tried not to look at the four bodies on the ground, red, red, red all around them and on her boots as she stomped through it.

She followed blue closely, watching as Lapis tore open the floor panel and all but jumped down the hole, talons extended to slow her descent with a screeching against the wall. Peridot followed at a safer pace, thudding down her makeshift ladder as fast as she could. By the time she joined Lapis at the bottom, the Indigan was clawing through one of the remaining panels with a vengeance. 

Above them, Peridot heard faint shouting and began to curse, staring up in fear as Lapis worked frantically. The metal groaned and screamed as it was torn and bent, then Lapis was climbing through the new opening and working on the last panel. Peridot could tell the moment she pierced it because her ears popped painfully and there was the whistling of wind. 

This one Lapis was trying to remove completely, tugging hard at the corners and pulling inward until the warped metal just fell away outside. Then, they were staring at a sheer drop to the earth. 

Peridot gulped, peering around Lapis.

“How are we going to do this?” Lapis asked, turning around to face Peridot.

“I’ll… climb on your back. We’ll tie ourselves together. That should keep us from jerking apart when the glider opens.” Peridot hoped that the reinforced stitching she’d done on the shoulder straps would hold.

Lapis nodded grimly, “Okay.” Peridot reached up to help her get rid of the netting holding her wings down.

“Let me grab the ropes from your ankles, too.” Peridot said, beginning to kneel.

Behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of metal clanging off metal, something about the tiny sound made all the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Peridot whipped around and saw something round and black bounce through the panel behind them.

“Grenade!” She cried and turned to tackle Lapis. They tumbled into the air together just as the explosive detonated, the heat felt even through Peridot’s layers of clothes.

They were falling, holding each other for dear life, pressed chest to chest so tightly that Peridot was having trouble drawing breath. The wind was whipping so hard that Peridot’s glasses were torn right off her face, but she was still so close to Lapis that she could see the deep blue of her eyes.

Desperately, she wrapped her legs around Lapis’s waist and leaned forward to kiss her on the mouth, before tightening her arms around Lapis’s neck and cradling her head. Peridot pressed her lips to Lapis ear and said, “I’ll hold you tight, you just need to activate the mechanism.”

She felt Lapis nod against her, squeezing her back as snugly as she could. They held each other for another moment and then the glider opened. The snap from the wind catching it was so intense that Peridot was convinced for a moment that the glider straps were going to tear her arms right off. She gave a cry of pain as her shoulders were nearly dislocated and their descent abruptly slowed.

They were at the mercy of the air currents for a minute, jerking to and fro, struggling to keep hold of each other until they could figure out a way to steer. Lapis opened her wings slowly, flapping them to try and stabilize their flight, while Peridot tried to brace herself against the glider to hold it steady. With their combined efforts, they eventually began to straighten out, allowing the currents to guide their glider closer to the ground.

Once she was certain they were safe, Peridot eased up her grip, loosening stiff muscles and pulling back to take in the sight. She found herself breathless, terrified in a sort of way that sent pleasant thrills down her spine. “Wow.” She breathed out, seeing the ground from so far up with no airship in the way of her view. Her gaze flicked to Lapis in excitement, “We’re flying! We’re doing it!”

Lapis was giving her a smile so soft and warm that Peridot couldn’t help leaning down to kiss her gently. “This is just the start for us.” Lapis said once they’d pulled apart, glancing up at the burning airship above them, then down at the peaceful ground below.

“Yeah.” Peridot said shyly, “We’ll be on the run, but it’ll be together.” 

Lapis smiled in agreement, then snuggled closer to enjoy the rest of the ride to the ground. They were free. While not free of consequence, they still had each other and their whole future laid out in front of them.


End file.
